Total sugar content in sorghum stalks and grains of selected cultivars from the world germplasm collection

Seventy sorghum cultivars from the world germplasm collection maintained at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) were screened for total sugar content of the stalks. The total sugar content in stalks harvested after physiological maturity ranged from 17.8 to 40.3% on dry weight basis. The total sugar content in grains of 15 selected cultivars ranged from 1.02 to 2.23%. Nine cultivars having more than 34% total sugar content in stalks showed consistency for sugar content when grown for two seasons. Juiciness of stalks from five cultivars as estimated by the quantity of juice extracted varied from 266 to 464 ml per kilogram of fresh stalks. The total sugar content in the juice of five cultivars varied from 7.0 to 15.9%.     

Texture, strain, and phase-fraction measurements during mechanical cycling in superelastic NiTi

Superelastic NiTi was subjected to simultaneous neutron diffraction and uniaxial compressive cycling between 10 and 980 MPa. The objective was an in-situ investigation of the evolution of the stress-induced, reversible transformation between austenite and martensite, to determine the cause of the changes in the macroscopic stress-strain response with cycling. Rietveld refinement was used to analyze the neutron spectra and quantify the phase fraction, texture, and elastic strain. The average phase strain in the mechanically loaded austenite (at a given stress) remained unaltered during the 100 load-unload cycles. However, differences in both the volume fraction and texture of austenite and martensite were noted as cycling progressed, suggesting that these factors are responsible for the changes in the macroscopic stress-strain response of NiTi with mechanical cycling.     

A Novel Narrow Band Red-Emitting Phosphor for White Light Emitting Diodes

Research on down conversion phosphor materials is the key for the development of solid-state lighting (SSL). Especially finding alternative red phosphor for white light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on blue or near ultraviolet (NUV) LEDs is important research task. In this view, we have synthesized a series of Eu³⁺-substituted La₂W_{2− x} Mo _x O₉ ( x =0–2, in step of 0.3) red phosphor and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence. XRD results reveal a phase transition from triclinic to cubic structure for x >0.2. All the compositions show broad charge transfer (CT) band due to CT from oxygen to tungsten/molybdenum and red emission due to Eu³⁺ ions. Select compositions show high red emission intensity compared with the commercial red phosphor under NUV/blue ray excitation. Hence, this candidate can be a possible red phosphor for white LEDs.     

Pressure drop and cavitation investigations on static helical-grooved square, triangular and curved cavity liquid labyrinth seals

Sodium cooled Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR) form the second stage of India's Nuclear power programme. Through a narrow annular space in the grid plate assembly of a prototype FBR, a very low leakage flow of liquid metal sodium should pass, experiencing a stipulated high pressure drop, and without much cavitation. To achieve this, a suitable labyrinth seal is required to be developed for use in the annulus. Water is employed as the model testing liquid which is estimated to experience a pressure drop ratio of 10.5 at the rated leakage flow. Previously studied circular or sinusoidal-grooved square, triangular or curved cavity labyrinth seals were unable to meet this value. In the present work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses are carried out on Helical-grooved Square cavity Labyrinth Seals (HSLS), using commercial code Fluent. It is found that the geometrical configuration of the grooves plays a major role on the pressure drop. Experimental results reveal close agreement with CFD predictions. An optimal configuration of this square cavity seal is identified by applying genetic algorithm (GA) using commercial packages. It meets just about 24% of the targeted value. Later, using parametric CFD analyses, a Helical-grooved Triangular cavity Labyrinth Seal (HTLS) and different Helical-grooved Curved cavity Labyrinth Seals (HCLS) are analysed. The most favourable profile is tested and found to reach the required pressure drop. CFD cavitation analyses predict the intensity of cavitation in these seals to be below prohibitive levels.     

A sampling theorem for EEG electrode configuration

An analytical tool to help in selecting the number of electrodes required for recording electroencephalogram (EEG) signals is presented. The main assumption made is that the scalp can be modeled as a hemispherical surface. The number of sensors required to sample a surface is derived by using a mean square error (MSE) measure to approximate the continuous potential functions on the hemispherical surface. An algorithm for selecting the number of electrodes for arbitrary head geometries is also proposed. A sampling theorem is then derived with conditions on the sampling points for electrode placement     

Effects of quasi-ballistic base transport on the high-frequencycharacteristics of bipolar transistors

High-frequency transport in bipolar transistors with quasi-ballistic base widths (on the order of a minority-carrier scattering length) is examined by using the approach of Grinberg and Luryi (1992) to solve the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE). By considering the phase angle of the dynamic distribution function in wave-vector space, it is shown that the ballistic mechanism of decay in the common-base current gain becomes important even for base widths in the quasi-ballistic regime. Simple expressions, which correctly yield both the magnitude and phase of all the forward characteristics, as predicted by the BTE, up to the intrinsic transit frequency, are found by combining the results from a one-flux approach with the well-known expressions of Thomas and Moll (1958). Expressions for the reverse small-signal parameters are also found by applying a “moving boundary condition” to the basic one-flux equations of Shockley (1962)     

A review of the readmissions of patients with tetraplegia to the Regional Spinal Injuries Centre, Southport, United Kingdom, between January 1994 and December 1995

Patients with chronic tetraplegia are prone to develop unique clinical problems which require readmission to specialised centres where the health professionals are trained specifically to diagnose, and treat the diseases afflicting this group of patients. An appraisal of the readmission pattern of tetraplegic patients will provide the necessary data for planning allocation of beds for treatment of chronic tetraplegic patients. Hospital records of patients with tetraplegia readmitted to the Regional Spinal Injuries Centre, Southport, UK between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1995 were analyzed to find out the number of tetraplegic patients who required readmission, reasons for readmission, duration of hospital stay, and mortality among patients readmitted. During the 2-year period, 155 tetraplegic patients were readmitted and 44 of them (28.4%) required more than one readmission (total readmission episodes: 221); these patients occupied 4.5 beds which is equivalent to 11.5% of the total bed capacity of the spinal unit. Among the reasons for the readmissions, evaluation and care of urinary tract disorders topped the list with 96 readmission episodes (43.43%) involving 70 patients; the median hospital stay was 3 days, and 18 patients (26%) required more than one readmission during this period. One hospital bed was occupied by the tetraplegic patients requiring treatment/evaluation of urinary tract disorders. Assessment and treatment of cardio-respiratory diseases was the second most common reason for readmission with 51 readmission episodes pertaining to 27 patients having a median hospital stay of 6 days; 13 patients (48%) were readmitted more than once within this 2-year period. Treatment of cardio-respiratory diseases in chronic tetraplegic patients required 1.2 hospital beds yearly. Only five tetraplegic patients were readmitted for treatment of pressure sore(s); however they had a prolonged hospital stay (median duration: 101 days). Social reasons accounted for 13 readmission episodes concerning nine patients who stayed in the hospital for varying periods (median: 6.5 days; mean: 35 days). Four tetraplegic patients readmitted with acute chest infection expired. An 81 year-old tetraplegic died of myocardial infarction. Urinary sepsis, renal insufficiency, respiratory failure and intra-cerebral haemorrhage accounted for the demise of a 41 year-old tetraplegic patient following surgical removal of a large, impacted stone at the pelviureteric junction. A tetraplegic patient who was admitted with haematuria subsequently underwent cystectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder; he developed secondaries and expired 5 months later. As more patients with high cervical spinal cord injury survive the initial period of trauma, and as the life expectancy of tetraplegic patients increases, it is likely that greater numbers of tetraplegic patients will be requiring readmission to spinal injuries centre. Although it may be possible to prevent some of the complications of spinal cord injury and hence the need for a readmission, progress in medicine and rehabilitation technology will create additional demands for readmissions of chronic tetraplegic patients in order to implement the newer therapeutic strategies. Thus a change in the pattern of readmission of chronic tetraplegic patients is likely to be the future trend and this should be taken into account while making plans for providing the optimum care to chronic tetraplegic patients.     

The role of integer matrices in multidimensional multirate systems

Various theoretical issues in multidimensional (m-D) multirate signal processing are formulated and solved. In the problems considered, the decimation matrix and the expansion matrix are nondiagonal, so that extensions of 1-D results are nontrivial. The m -D polyphase implementation technique for rational sampling rate alterations, the perfect reconstruction properties for the m-D delay-chain systems, and the periodicity matrices of decimated m-D signals (both deterministic and statistical) are treated. The discussions are based on several key properties of integer matrices, including greatest common divisors and least common multiples. These properties are reviewed     

Sampling methods for potential epidemic vectors of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus in Massachusetts

The neurotoxic effect of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) on the morphologies in the darkly stained sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) and the lighter-staining surrounding area (non-SDN-POA) within the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) was evaluated. Male and female Long-Evans rats were used. MSG (4 mg/g of body weight) was administered subcutaneously to pups on days 1 and 3 postnatally. Normal saline was used as the vehicle. At the age of 6 months, the rats were sacrificed and the brain tissues were fixed for histological examination. The morphological changes, i.e., total volume, density, total neuron number, neuronal nuclear volume (NNV) and ratio of pyknosis, of the SDN-POA and non-SDN-POA within the MPN, were estimated using the AMS VIDS III semiautomatic image-analytic system. The results indicate that neonatal MSG treatment caused significant neuronal loss and decreases in total volume of the SDN-POA and non-SDN-POA of male and female rats. However, only the SDN-POA of MSG-treated male rats showed a significant increase of pyknosis and decrease of neuronal density. A significant enlargement of NNV in the SDN-POA and non-SDN-POA was observed in the MSG-treated male rats. These results indicate that the MPN shows sex-specific and area-specific changes after neonatal neurotoxicity due to MSG.     

HYDROSOL DEPOSITION IN GRANULAR BEDS—AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Experiments were conducted to study the deposition of particles from suspensions flowing through packed beds. The experimental data obtained include both the initial and transient state particle collection. The initial collection efficiencies were compared with predictions based on existing theories. Agreement between experiments and predictions was generally good except for the case when significant repulsive force barrier exists between filter grains and particles. The transient state data obtained under the presence of unfavorable surface interactions show a steady decline in collection efficiency with time, which cannot be reconciled with any existing theories.